R-5 Raven Gunship
Overview Introduced in the year 2160, the R-5 Raven Gunship was designed to act as close air support in situations where other contemporary aircraft were not sufficient - specifically the Wasp or Falcon. Armament Heavily armed with a variety of hardpoints for different strike packages, the Raven is suitable for both air-to-ground and air-to-air combat. Beneath the cockpit is a mount capable of holding a variety of assault weapons, ranging from a 20mm rotary gun to a 30mm autocannon. Under the wings are four hardpoints; two on each wing. The innermost mounts generally carry rocket pods storing thirty-two rockets of a wide variety. Typically, 70mm folding-fin flechette warheads are mounted; these warheads explode en-route to the target and send 80 tungsten flechettes each downrange at Mach 1.5. Other common warheads include HE and HEAP. The outermost mounts usually carry laser-guided or heat-seeking missiles, depending on whether the aircraft is fitted for air-to-ground or air-to-air combat respectively. In both cases, the missiles are highly effective, and their track record shows this; they have been used against hostile Scorpions, Falcons, and even Vultures before, to great effect. Its spread of weapons allows it to engage a wide variety of targets; the nose gun able to engage infantry, the rockets able to engage lightly armoured vehicles and infantry in cover, and the missiles able to engage armour and aircraft. Defences The Raven is exceptionally well protected to ensure the survival of its crew and the continued operation of the craft. Although the armour's specifications are classified, information available to the public claims that it's a composite sandwich of ceramic and reactive plating able to stop a variety of threats whilst maintaining its structural integrity to the very end. The armour is capable of stopping the 102mm shaped charge of the UNSC's SPNKr with relative ease; it took two charges to 'mission-kill' a Raven during testing, and both were strategically placed to deal the most damage possible. Against small arms fire it's nearly impenetrable, and there are no cases in the vehicle's history where enemy small arms were able to bring down a craft. Additionally, the craft is designed to spread the impact of any ordnance that can damage the armour over a wide area, reducing the damage to any given location and allowing the armour to maintain its integrity even after being hit with a tank round. Finally, the vehicle deploys a series of active defences in addition to its passive armour. Mounted near the rear of the craft are a large number of flare launchers, deploying white phosphorous to confuse enemy heat-seeking missile systems. Additionally, the craft can deploy EM-jamming signals to confuse enemy radio-guidance systems and other remote guidance systems. Propulsion Designed with speed, aggression, and loiter time in mind, the Raven uses an advanced propulsion system whose full workings have not been revealed to the public. The vehicles loiter time exceeds four hours in the majority of cases, although the craft's wide variety of weapons result in a realistic time-over-target of a fraction of that. It has a top speed of approximately 300km/h. Avionics and Optics The Raven makes use of a range of sensors and cameras. Although some are classified, the following are known to be used: infrared cameras, night-vision cameras, and millimetre-radar systems, in addition to the standard 10x, 40x, and 120x cameras. The electronics in the aircraft are designed to be EMP and EM-jam resistant. Model History 2558 Trafalgar WAAS decides to design a new attack aircraft, making maximum use of its well trained engineering force. The craft will be the next model in the R-series. 2560 The R-5 Raven Gunship is released. Expensive, but highly effective, the craft is purchased by private military corporations and paramilitaries in addition to the UNSC. 2562 Trafalgar Manufactory #122 is attacked by militant forces. Deploying four Warthogs and a large number of infantry, the militants are detected from afar. A Raven is deployed by the manufactory. Upon arrival over the battlespace, the Raven is engaged by enemy small arms, before it makes use of its 30mm cannon to destroy enemy light armour, defeating the majority of the rest of the infantry with four flechette rockets. Remaining enemy forces were wiped out by the 30mm cannon. The Raven returns to base having expended 240 rounds of 30mm and four flechette rockets. Category:Vehicles Category:UNSC